• The Aquifer Impact Model (AIM) tool gives
a rapid probabilistic estimation of aquifer
volume impacted by a potential leak of
injected CO2 or saline water pushed out
of the CO2 storage reservoir. This tool
distinguishes between CO2 and saline
water leaks and is used to determine
impacted groundwater relative to selected
regulatory or detection threshold criteria.

• The Designs for Risk Evaluation and
Management (DREAM) tool evaluates and
selects the optimal monitoring design for
a GCS site, estimating the earliest times
for detection and probability of leakage
detection given site- and technology-specific constraints.

• The Multiple Source Leakage Reduced-order model (MSLR) rapidly predicts the
probability that the concentration in an
atmospheric plume of CO2 will exceed a
defined critical concentration, given known
leakage rates from one or more sources.

• The Reservoir Evaluation & Visualization
(REV) tool distills key information from
raw numerical reservoir simulations
on reservoir pressure change and CO2
plumes sizes over time, helping to assess
the portion of the site that may be subject
to regulation of monitoring and site care.

• The Well Leakage Analysis Tool (WLAT)
allows rapid evaluation of leakage risk
from existing wells at CO2 storage sites. It
models potential migration of brine and/
or CO2 from the storage reservoir as a
function of well disposition and reservoir
conditions.

• The Ground Motion Prediction for Induced
Seismicity (GMPIS) tool estimates shaking
intensity at the surface that could result
from potential induced earthquakes
at CO2 storage sites, providing useful
information during the project planning
and permitting stages.

• The Short-Term Seismic Forecasting (STSF)
tool performs a probabilistic analysis that
considers the site’s previously recorded
seismic history and new injection data to
forecast expected seismicity rate over the
next few days.

Taken together, these 10 tools represent
the most complete suite of models ever
assembled to assess the geological integrity
and environmental risk performance of CO2
storage sites related to potential fluid leakage
and ground motion. Dilmore explained that,
since its release, the Toolset has served the
geologic carbon storage R&D community
as a credible science-based resource for
evaluating, developing, and managing
geologic storage of CO2.

“The NRAP Toolset is being used byindustry and fills a critical need thatstakeholders from the internationalcarbon capture and storage communityhave acknowledged. Specifically, thetools are providing a unique platform forrapidly analyzing and communicatingenvironmental risk performance at plannedor active carbon storage sites. The Toolset’srelease marks a significant accomplishmentin the Energy Department’s efforts to buildstakeholder confidence that well-designedGCS operations can safely and effectivelystore CO2,” Dilmore said.

The NRAP Toolset has been freely
distributed to researchers, regulators,
developers, operators, and insurers, and it’s
finding practical application for a number
of proposed and active geologic storage
demonstrations. The experiences of the
Toolset’s diverse user base are yielding
critical feedback to inform further tool
development and refinement.

Now in its second phase, NRAP is
applying and extending its predictive
capabilities to consider active management
and mitigation of GCS risks and strategic
design of monitoring to reduce related
uncertainties. Learning from continued
field testing of NRAP tools and methods
at GCS demonstration sites will help to
build confidence in their predictive validity.
These efforts are geared toward addressing
critical questions related to assessment
and management of environmental risk at
CO2 storage sites, and building stakeholder
confidence to proceed with industrial-scale
implementation of GCS technology.

R&D 100 Award Winner

The National Risk Assessment Partnership Toolset from National Energy Technology
Laboratory (NETL) was a 2017 R&D 100 Award Winner. It was co-developed by
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The winners
were announced at The R&D 100 Awards Gala held in Orlando, Florida on Nov. 17.
The R&D 100 Awards have served as the most prestigious innovation awards program for
the past 55 years, honoring R&D pioneers and their revolutionary ideas in science and
technology.

See the full list of 2017 R&D 100 Award Winners here: https://www.rd100conference.com/awards/winners-finalists/year/2018/Submissions for the 2018 R&D 100 Awards are now being accepted. Any new technicalproduct or process that was first available for purchase or licensing between January 1,2017 and March 31, 2018, is eligible for entry in the 2018 awards. Entries for the R&D100 Awards can be entered under five general product categories— Mechanical Devices/Materials, IT/Electrical, Analytical/Test, Process/Prototyping, and Software/Services.To apply visit: https://www.rd100conference.com/how-enter-rd-100-awards/